Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen: Six Tudor Queens, Book 3

The woman haunted by the fate of her predecessor. Eleven days after the death of Anne Boleyn, Jane is dressing for her wedding to the King. She has witnessed at first hand how courtly play can quickly turn to danger and knows she must bear a son...or face ruin. This new Queen must therefore step out from the shadows cast by Katherine and Anne - in doing so, can she expose a gentler side to the brutal King?

Innocent Traitor

Lady Jane Grey was born into the most dangerous of times. Child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother for whom she was a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, she lived a life in thrall to political machinations and lethal religious fervour. Growing up with the future Queen Elizabeth and her reluctant nemesis, Mary, she soon learned the truth of the values imparted to her by Henry VIII's last Queen, Katherine Parr.

The Life of Elizabeth I

The
New York Times best-selling author of
The Six Wives of Henry VIII and
The War of the Roses, historian Alison Weir crafts fascinating portraits of England’s infamous House of Tudor line. Here Weir focuses on Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, who ascended to the throne at age 25 and never married, yet ruled for 44 years and steered England into its Golden Age.

Kindle Customer says:"A captivating look at Englands first great Queen"

The Children of Henry VIII

New York Times best-selling author Alison Weir is one of the most popular chroniclers of British and European royal history. In this fascinating book she sheds light on the scheming, backstabbing and brutality that plagued England after Henry VIII’s death. Filled with remarkable and sometimes shocking details,
The Children of Henry VIII is an arresting narrative that brings the past to life and infuses it with all the flair of a riveting novel.

Young and Damned and Fair: The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII

England, July 1540: it is one of the hottest summers on record, and the court of Henry VIII is embroiled once again in political scandal. Anne Cleves is out. Thomas Cromwell is to be executed and, in the countryside, an aristocratic teenager named Catherine Howard prepares to become fifth wife to the increasingly unpredictable monarch.

Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn was the mistress of two kings, Francois I of France and Henry VIII of England, and sister to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. In this astonishing and riveting biography, Alison Weir’s extensive research gives a new and detailed portrayal, in which she recounts that, contrary to popular belief, Mary was entirely undeserving of her posthumous notoriety as a great whore.

Queens of the Conquest

In the first volume of this epic new series, Alison Weir strips away centuries of romantic mythology and prejudice to reveal the lives of England's queens in the century after the Norman Conquest. Beginning with Matilda of Flanders, who supported William the Conqueror in 1066, to the turbulent life of the Empress Maud, who claimed to be queen of England in her own right and fought a bitter war to that end, the five Norman queens emerge as hugely influential figures and fascinating characters.

The Lost Tudor Princess

Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. Royal Tudor blood ran in her veins. Her mother was a Queen, her father an Earl, and she herself was the granddaughter, niece, cousin and grandmother of monarchs. Beautiful and tempestuous, she created scandal not just once but twice by falling in love with unsuitable men. Fortunately the marriage arranged for her turned into a love match.

Henry VIII: King and Court

This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court - the most spectacular court ever seen in England - and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces. An entertaining narrative packed with colourful description and a wealth of anecdotal evidence, but also a comprehensive analytical study of the development of both monarch and court during a crucial period in English history.

The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty

The Tudor monarchs were constantly surrounded by an army of attendants, courtiers and ministers. Even in their most private moments, they were accompanied by a servant specifically appointed for the task. A groom of the stool would stand patiently by as Henry VIII performed his daily purges, and when Elizabeth I retired for the evening, one of her female servants would sleep at the end of her bed. These attendants knew the truth behind the glamorous exterior.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

This acclaimed best seller from popular historian Alison Weir is a fascinating look at the Tudor family dynasty and its most infamous ruler.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII brings to life England’s oft-married monarch and the six wildly different but equally fascinating women who married him. Gripping from the first sentence to the last and loaded with fascinating details, Weir’s rich history is a perfect blend of scholarship and entertainment.

Elizabeth of York

Elizabeth of York would have ruled England, but for the fact that she was a woman. One of the key figures of the Wars of the Roses, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, she married Henry Tudor to bring peace to a war-torn England. In Elizabeth of York: The First Tudor Queen, Alison Weir builds a portrait of this beloved queen, placing her in the context of the magnificent, ceremonious, often brutal world she inhabited.

The Summer Queen: Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy, Book 1

Eleanor of Aquitaine's story deserves to be legendary. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive - until now. Based on the most up-to-date research, award-winning novelist Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor's magnificent story to life, as never before, unveiling the real Eleanor. Young, golden-haired and blue-eyed Eleanor has everything to look forward to as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine.

A Dangerous Inheritance

The year is 1562. Lady Catherine Grey, cousin of Elizabeth I, has just been arrested along with her husband, Edward. Their crime is to have secretly married and produced a child who might threaten the Queen's title. Alone in her chamber at the Tower of London, Catherine hears ghostly voices; echoes, she thinks, of a crime committed in the same room where she is imprisoned.

The King's Sister

One betrayal is all it takes to change history. It's 1382. Daughter of John of Gaunt, sister to the future King Henry IV, Elizabeth of Lancaster has learned the shrewd tricks of the court from England's most powerful men. In a time of political turmoil, allegiance to family is everything. A Plantagenet princess should never defy her father's wishes. Yet headstrong Elizabeth refuses to bow to the fate of a strategic marriage.

The Shadow Queen

From the
Sunday Times best-selling author of
The Queen's Choice. A tale of treachery, power-hungry families and legal subterfuges. Woven through it is a remarkable story of a beautiful girl, desirable as a bride, growing to be a woman of foresight and power. A story of love and loyalty and of the cost of personal ambition. The story of the woman who would ultimately wield power as the King Mother to 10-year-old King Richard II.

Virgin Widow

'I was a penniless, landless petitioner, my Neville blood a curse, my future dependent on the charity of those who despised me....' Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. In England's glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Nevilles raised high.

Isabella: The She-Wolf of France

Here is the first full-length biography of a much maligned but astonishingly colourful Queen of England. In Newgate Street, in the city of London, stand the meagre ruins of Christ Church. On the same site once stood a royal mausoleum set to rival Westminster Abbey in the 14th century. Among the many crowned heads buried there was Isabella of France, Edward II's queen - one of the most notorious femme fatales in history. But how did she acquire her evil reputation? And is it justified?

Publisher's Summary

The lives of Henry VIII's queens make for dramatic stories, and Alison Weir writes a series of novels that offer insights into the real lives of the six wives based on extensive research and new theories.

In all the romancing, has anyone regarded the evidence that Anne Boleyn did not love Henry VIII? Or that Prince Arthur, Katherine of Aragon's first husband, who is said to have loved her, in fact cared so little for her that he willed his personal effects to his sister? Or that Henry VIII, an overprotected child and teenager, was prudish when it came to sex? That Jane Seymour, usually portrayed as Henry's one true love, had the makings of a matriarch? There is much to reveal....

Alison writes about the wives in the contexts of their own ages and of the court intrigues that surrounded these women and - without exception - wrecked their lives. She will transport listeners into a lost and vivid world of splendour and brutality: a world in which love, or the game of it, dominates all.

Ive always been fascinated by the Tudors. At first, when I realised there were 35 chapters I wondered if I would last until the end but Alison Weirs superb storytelling kept me enthralled and gave me a much greater insight to why the main characters behaved as they did. Dear Katherine of Aragon what a woman! I cannot wait for the next instalment to be released in audio format.

Loved this thorough narration of Katherine's life. Alison is an excellent historian but hearing this book read really does draw you into each dramatic chapter. Can't wait for the next book in this series!

Where does Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audio book is a really in depth account of Katherine of Aragon. It portrays her life as the tragic victim of circumstance she was, but also illustrates her intellect and desire to be a good queen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Henry, as always his character is multidimensional and this book gives an insight into his early life and the tragedies that helped shape him.

What about Maggie Mash’s performance did you like?

I disagree with some of the unkind comments made about Maggie's narration. Whilst it is true she does read some dialogue more slowly, this is to add dimension to some of the foreign characters. Her style does not detract from my enjoyment of the book and I have liked other books she has read previously. I look forward to the next five volumes of this series and hope i don't have to wait too long!

Any additional comments?

The download wasn't the best quality; the dialogue jumps I places and fades in and out occasionally. A good historical fiction book which sticks closely to the known events.

If you could sum up Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen in three words, what would they be?

Slow to start, great middle and slower to finish. The novel is written from the perspective of the Queen from her arrival from Spain to marry Prince Arthur until her death. Accordingly her life did not make for such exciting reading throughout, as it does when the Boleyns arrived. I liked however how the novel does include the lesser well known periods of her life; Katherine it would appear truly was a great Queen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen?

It would be easy to say the Boleyn moments; for me her confinement post Queen Ann on the throne was particularly appauling. I'd previously considered with knowledge of the fate of other wives that Katherine got off lightly. Now I'm not so sure.

Which character – as performed by Maggie Mash – was your favourite?

The performer grew on me. Her portrayal was "queenly" as suits the novel and other reviews have commented they did not care for the presentation. I was unsure to start with as Katherine is presented in a halting English accent as she is obviously grasping a new language. This took me a while to get used to, but overall I found myself really liking the presentation. I think the whole reading will stay with me for a while, it is certainly powerful.

Any additional comments?

Ann Boleyn comes across as quite the nasty bitch. Alison Weir says as much in her interviews about the book. The second in the series I am awaiting with eager anticipation! There were sufficient villainous Ann Boleyn moments in this novel to make me long for the next!

ok - i listened to the end- but found it unnecessarily repetitive of katherine s woes. no doubt accurate - she probably did repeat herself over and over to the king as she stuck to her guns. good for her but doesnt make for a cracking read.

Bookwise I was hoping it was to Alison Weirs usual non-fictional, fact filled novel style of story telling but this is much more of a romantically written (as romantic as it can be for a queen who got dumped) more fictional story. I can forgive this as having actually read the book aswell as listening to it, it flows so well and the story in general is great but I've said it before and sadly having to say it again, Maggie Mash is absolutely dire.Why, oh WHY does she read characters dialogue so slowly like she's struggling? I know that she isn't as she reads the rest of the book just fine but the dialogue quality is unforgivable. Davina Porter gave an outstanding performance in The Life of Elizabeth the first, as did Simon Prebble and Judith Boyd in other Alison Weir works but sadly this is now the third book by Maggie Mash that's just going to sit in my library and wasting my credits which is such a shame as the authoress has such a knack to tell vivid stories.

I really wanted to listen to this book and I’ve stuck with it up to chapter 15 but I can’t stand it any longer. The ‘voices’ are just annoying. I’m pretty sure that the people in the Tudor court didn’t speak pigeon English and Catherine’s voice is not realistic at all, right from the beginning it’s so deep. Such a shame as I was so looking forward to this book.

It's so easy to gloss over the amazing events of Henry VIII's life with a sentence or two. Katherine of Aragon is often dismissed with a few words as Henry's first wife yet she shared more than twenty years with him, had six pregnancies of which only one produced a surviving child, Princess Mary, and she died as a virtual prisoner when he decided to get rid of her to marry Ann Boleyn. In this remarkable book, Alison Weir brings her story to life, through careful research of contemporary sources, so you feel as though you live through the whole saga at Katherine's side. A great addition to her body of historical work and a really engaging audiobook.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.